


See You Later, Beautiful

by Joyful



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Blindness, Grief, Homosexuality, M/M, Pansexual Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-04-27
Updated: 2011-04-28
Packaged: 2017-10-18 17:58:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/191636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joyful/pseuds/Joyful
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt needed community service hours to graduate so he started volunteering at the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  When he spotted Noah Puckerman there, he assumed Puck was doing community service too.  He didn't know that Puck was going blind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my own prompt on the Puckurt fic meme: http://puckurt.livejournal.com/970926.html?thread=22567854#t22567854 Also for Ice_Whisper because she loves angsty puckurt so much. Also, a little creative googling told me that the ABVI is only local, and not in Ohio. So I made up my own fictional Center in Lima. This will eventually be smutty, but it's not yet. It will eventually be shippy, but it's not yet.

“Hey Puck, what's with the glasses?” Kurt asked, settling into his seat in his government class. He saw Puck next to him, and the other boy seemed slightly confused. He stared at his desk for a moment, moving his head as though he couldn't quite see the seat, before nodding to himself then sitting down in the chair.

“My mom's insurance won't cover my contacts anymore” Puck said, running his hand over his mohawk. “Besides, all the girls agree I'm sexier with my glasses on. What do you think, Hummel?”

“As sexy as ever,” Kurt replied. “And if your head gets any bigger I'm gonna pop it with a pin.”

Puck responded with a lewd tongue gesture and Kurt flipped him off. Ever since Kurt and Blaine had dated, Kurt's confidence had grown greatly, especially now that Dave Karofsky and Santana Lopez, and a few other kids, had come out of the closet. McKinley even had its very own Gay-Straight Alliance now. He was less terrified of people beating him up for being gay and he and Puck had developed a bit of a flirty rapport, Puck claiming he was so bad-ass even the guys wanted him. Kurt was single at the moment, he and Blaine had broken up amicably over the summer. They'd agreed that they made much better friends than boyfriends, since they were so alike. Blaine was actually dating Dave Karofsky now, and Kurt was, for the moment at least, flying solo.

“Alright class,” Mr. Phillips said standing in front of them. “In order to graduate my class, you are all required to do fifteen hours of community service this year.” The entire class groaned as Mr. Phillips handed out papers. “On the sheets I'm handing out are a list of approved community service projects. And no, Puckerman, the state-appointed trash-picking you did last year does _not_ count. This is _Participation_ in Government people, pick a part of the community and _participate_ in it!”

Kurt looked over the list while Mr. Phillips lectured. Most of the items on the list were things Kurt wouldn't be caught dead doing. But one of them, volunteering at the Lima Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired looked doable. It might be interesting, working with blind people for a little while. At the very least they wouldn't judge him on appearances, and that might be something new to experience.

*****

Kurt went inside the building with huge Braille dots above giant letters on the wall that read LCBVI. He walked up to the front desk to talk to the secretary.

“What can I do for you today?” she asked, smiling brightly.

“I'm here to volunteer,” Kurt said. “I called earlier. My school's requiring a certain number of community service hours?”

“Oh, yeah,” the secretary smiled. “I'm Missy. Let me page Gary, he's in charge of volunteers.”

“No need, I'm here,” a tall man said, coming around the corner into the lobby. “We have a student volunteer?”

“That's me,” Kurt said, holding out his hand. “Kurt Hummel.”

“Oh, you have a very interesting voice. How's your diction?” Fary asked. He was giving off a very flustered vibe. Kurt could tell he was distracted.

“Good, I think. I'm a singer and I do musical theater,” Kurt said.

“Good, follow me,” Gary said, “I need a strong voice today.”

Kurt followed Gary to an elevator, and as the doors slid closed Gary turned to face him.

“One of the many services we offer is turn text into audio,” Gary said. “I'm sure you familiar with books on tape?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said.

“Well, audio recordings of popular books are quite common, but there isn't a lot of market in the recording industry for transferring more obscure texts. A lot of the people we work with are high school and college students, who are assigned journal articles or obscure textbooks or technical manuals to read. Those aren't generally transcribed to audio,” Gary said.

“I never thought about that,” Kurt said.

“Most people don't, unless they're blind or dyslexic. It's not a problem the average person encounters. Anyway, if I seem a bit flustered it's because one of our regular bookreaders just moved to Tennessee and one of our clients, Tricia, is taking a college anthropology class that is very heavy on readings. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to take you straight to our recording booth, show you the set up, and give you a big stack of her homework.”

“And all I have to do is read the papers into the microphone?” Kurt asked. He had expected his community service work to be much more difficult. Gary took him to the small recording studio and handed him a large stack of college homework. He spent about fifteen minutes showing Kurt how to use the software, and made sure he understood to read every word, then left the room and closed the door.

Three hours later, Kurt's voice was starting to feel a little scratchy, but he had read several of Tricia's assignments into the microphone and he felt like he'd actually accomplished something. Not to mention he now new more about tribal life in pre-colonial South America than he'd ever wanted to. But it was a little interesting, at least. If he did this every time, he might actually learn some new things, as well as help out. He found Gary, who thanked him, asked him to come back as soon as he could, and walked him down to the lobby. In the lobby he saw a familiar mohawk and went over to say hello.

“Hey Puck,” Kurt said. “You picked this place too?”

“What?” Puck asked, looking confused, then spinning around to squint at Kurt. “Hummel? What are you doing here?”

“Government class. Service project, remember? I'm volunteering here,” Kurt said. Puck looked confused and...scared? It was very unlike him.

“Oh, yeah, the service project. That's why I'm here,” Puck said. “Volunteering. I guess I was just lost in my own head for a minute.”

“Lots of room to get lost in there,” Kurt teased.

“Noah, Michael is ready for you,” a voice called, and Puck started to walk away.

“See you tomorrow, Hummel,” Puck said, walking towards an open door.

“See you,” Kurt echoed. He couldn't help but think that Puck was acting weird.

*****

“How was volunteering at the Center for the Blind?” Carole asked Kurt over dinner. Finn and Burt were practically burrowing into their food, but Carole and Kurt liked having casual conversation of the dinner table.

“It was interesting. Kind of fun, actually. They have me reading a girl's college homework for her. Recording it onto MP3s so she can listen to it,” Kurt said.

“Why does she need you to read her homework?” Finn asked.

“Because she's blind, Finn. She can't read the words, but she still has to do her assignments. So Gary, that's the guy who works with volunteers, he wants me to come back in a couple of days and read some more. It's actually a lot easier for community service than I expected it to be. I just record myself reading, then somebody else turns it into MP3s or puts it on CD for the girl.”

“That's pretty cool,” Burt said.

“I saw Puck at the Center. He's doing his community service there too,” Kurt said.

“Are you sure?” Carole asked, biting her lip. Kurt looked up at his stepmom and for some reason, she just looked...sad.

“That's why he said he was there,” Kurt said. “Finn, has Puck been acting weird around you lately?”

“Kinda,” Finn said

` “You boys should invite Noah over this weekend,” Carole said.

“Why?” Finn asked.

“Oh, no reason. Just,” Carole paused, looking like she was trying to figure out how to say something. “Ruth told me Noah's been having a rough time lately. That he's going through something and he could probably use his friends right now.”

“We should have their whole family over,” Burt said. “Carole, you call Ruth and have her bring the kids over, and we can barbecue.”

“That's a great idea, Burt,” Carole smiled.

“Can I invite Rachel?” Finn asked

“Sure,” Burt said. “Kurt, you have any boy you might want to invite over?”

“Not right now,” Kurt said. “Now that I have some real friends, I'm actually pretty okay with being single. And until I can hang out with Dave without flinching, I'm giving Blaine and him a bit of space. He's changed, but he still scares me sometimes.”

“I still can't believe that boy spent two years making your life miserable just because he couldn't accept being gay,” Burt said, for the umpteenth time.

“People do crazy things to be liked,” Kurt said, shooting a look at Finn, who blushed and looked sheepish. Kurt had long forgiven Finn for his former actions, but he hadn't forgotten entirely. And Finn still hesitated, from time to time, to do what was right at the risk of being unpopular. But, overall, he'd really grown as a person over the past two years. They were seniors now, and Finn was finally starting to act like the adult he was fast becoming.

“I guess so,” Burt said. Eventually they finished dinner and Kurt and Finn cleared the table while Carole went to call Ruth and set up their family get-together.

*****

“Hey, where's Puck?” Mr. Schue asked at glee club.

“He had a doctor's appointment, I think,” Lauren said.

“Again?” Will said. “That's his third one this term. Oh well, let's work on this choreography.”

Kurt wondered if Puck's doctor's appointments had anything to do with what Carole was saying about Puck having a lot on his plate right now. But he quickly pushed that thought aside to work on his complicated choreography.

 

*****

Two days later, Kurt showed up at the Center again, a baggie full of cough drops and a bottle of water in his bag, ready to make more recordings. Gary quickly ushered him to the recording booth where Kurt spent several hours making more recordings. He had to admit that Tricia Kelly was learning some interesting things at college, and helping record her assignments just reminded him how much he couldn't wait to finally leave Lima and go to college himself. It was fall of his senior year and he'd been working on college applications in his spare time. So far, his senior year was proving to be pretty awesome .

When Kurt was finished with his recording, it was late. Gary didn't feel the need to escort him out, since he'd proved himself trustworthy just by showing up again when he said he would. So Kurt put away the things he was using and walked out to the elevator. The building was dark, since most people had gone home for the night. He needed to sign something with Missy, the secretary, about how many hours he'd been there, but after that, he could go home and work on some French homework. Missy wasn't at the desk when he got there, but she'd left him a note saying she'd be right back. Most of the lights were out but a door about twenty feet away was open, and Kurt could hear talking from inside the room.

“Noah, stop cheating,” a woman's voice pressed gently.

“I'm not,” the Noah in question answered, and Kurt realized it was Puck. Kurt found himself wandering over to stand by the door. The person at the desk had his back to the door, but Kurt could tell by voice, McKinley jacket and mohawk that it was Noah Puckerman.

“You are,” the woman said. “Noah, pretty soon you're not going to be able to peek at the dots. You _have_ to learn to do this by touch.”

“I'm not blind!” Puck shouted, picking up the Braille book and throwing it across the room. He slammed his fist down on the table. The woman calmly and patiently walked over, picked the book up, opened it, and set it in front of Puck. Then she moved behind him and placed her hand gently on his back.

“No, you're not, Noah. Not yet. But you will be. You know very well that the kind of glaucoma you have can't be treated or reversed. You. Are. Going. Blind. You're scared and you're angry and it just doesn't seem fair. But it is what it is, Noah. And the sooner you stop fighting us during these lessons, and start learning the skills we're trying to teach you, the more prepared you'll be when you are completely blind.”

“It's not fair,” Puck said, and Kurt's heart clenched, because Puck sounded so very _broken_ and Kurt didn't have to see Puck's face to know that the mohawked teen had tears in his eyes.

“Start at the beginning, Noah. Read it out loud,” the woman coached, and Kurt had to admire the woman's unceasing patience.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,” Puck read slowly, “of Number Four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”

Kurt recognized the opening line of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ and admired the woman's choice for a reading lesson.

“Lucky for them,” Puck grumbled after he finished the first sentence. But he kept reading, painfully slow, and Kurt got so into listening to him that he almost jumped two feet high when Missy tapped him on the shoulder.

“How long has Noah Puckerman been coming here?” Kurt asked Missy as he filled out his time sheet.

“A while,” Missy said. “I can't give you personal details about his case or his file, you know.”

“He's a friend of mine,” Kurt said quietly. “But he never told anyone he was going blind. Nobody at school knows.”

Missy looked around, then looked at Kurt. Something in the way he said that Noah was a friend of his made Missy want to help him. “Listen, I didn't tell you this, okay?”

“Okay,” Kurt said.

“Noah's had glaucoma for a while, but at first they thought they might be able to stop it from deteriorating. They were wrong, and over the summer his doctor told him he's going to be legally blind within a year. So he has to learn life skills. But he fights with the teachers because he's not ready to admit to himself, yet, that he's going blind. It's incredibly common. Most people who lose their sight gradually are in denial in the beginning. Be patient with him, and I'm sure he'll tell his friends soon enough. Just don't push him too hard.,” Missy said. “Did you hear the way Sharon works with him?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said. “She's very blunt, but gentle at the same time.”

“Exactly,” Missy said. “We have to get him to accept he's going blind, to accept that this doesn't detract from who he is as a person. He's still a good, strong, teenage boy with a future ahead of him, his eyes just aren't going to work. If you're his friend, you need to be there for him. Make sure he knows that you don't think any less of him. And don't tell him I told you this stuff.”

“Your secret's safe with me,” Kurt smiled as Missy. He liked the secretary, and kissed the back of her hand before turning and walking out of the Center. As he walked to his car, he thought about what he had just witnessed.

Noah Puckerman was going blind. Puck, the badass tough guy of McKinley High was going blind. He wouldn't be able to see his friends, or his family. He wouldn't be able to look into the eyes of a lover during sex. When Shelby scheduled their next visitation, he wouldn't be able to see Beth. Kurt knew he had always been a sensitive soul, but he found himself having to pull the Navigator over to the side of the road while he cried for his friend. He laid his head down on the steering wheel and just let the tears flow. Later, he would buck up and figure out how to help Puck. Later he would get his act together and figure out how to be a good friend, but right then, he just needed to cry.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been to Lima, so all the street names are made up.

On Saturday, the Puckerman family showed up at the Hudson-Hummel house for the last barbecue of the season. The first thing Kurt noticed was just how thick Puck's glasses were. He'd gotten used to seeing the other boy in glasses since senior year started, but these must have been new, because they were the thickest glasses Kurt had ever seen. The second thing Kurt noticed was how Puck kept his hand on Sarah's shoulder. It was unobtrusive; an outsider would just think the boy was being protective of his little sister in an unfamiliar environment. But when Kurt looked carefully he saw that Sarah was leading Puck. She knew exactly why he was hanging onto her, and she was going out of her way to make sure he didn't trip. Rachel was caught up in herself as usual, so she didn't seem to notice. Finn was caught up in Rachel, so he didn't seem to notice either. But Kurt was completely wrapped up in watching Puck.

After lunch, Kurt spotted Puck sitting alone in the corner of their yard, and Kurt made his way over, sitting down next to him.

“Hey, it's me,” Kurt said as he slid next to Puck on the stone wall that was the boundary marker for their yard.

“Duh, Princess,” Puck said.

“Don't Puck,” Kurt said. “I know.”

“Know what?” Puck asked, there was a look of apprehension on his face.

“I know about your glaucoma. I saw you in your Braille lesson yesterday,” Kurt said gently.

“You think you can spy on me?” Puck asked, loudly, jumping to his feet and stumbling slightly. “You don't know anything!”

“Puck,” Kurt said, approaching Puck to put his hand on the other boy's arm. Puck's loud outburst had drawn everyone's attention.

“No!” Puck said, pushing Kurt away, and stumbling backwards. “Just leave me alone, Hummel!”

“Noah,” Ruth said sharply, running over to her son. “You need to stop this. You need to stop pretending this isn't happening, and let your friends help you. They're your friends.”

“Puck, dude, what's going on?” Finn asked, coming over, Rachel in tow.

“I...I...” Puck trailed off. He was on his knees, on hand on the ground. The other hand rubbed at his wet eyes, knocking off his glasses.

“No, you should tell Finn, so he can help you, like I do. Then you won't fall over at school,” Sarah said with all the simplicity of a ten-year-old. “Finn's your friend. He loves you like I do.” Sarah wormed her way next to her brother and wrapped her arms around him, kneeling on the ground next to him.

“I,” Puck started, his hand still against his face. “I have glaucoma. It's progressive and untreatable.”

“What does that mean, bro?” Finn asked, as Rachel let out a small, soft cry.

“It means he's going blind, Finn,” Rachel answered.

“I thought only old people got that,” Finn said.

“One in 200 people under the age of sixty get it. It would be totally bad ass, if it didn't suck so much,” Puck answered. He dropped his hands and, his eyes closed, put a hand on Sarah's shoulder. “I lost my glasses, Sarah,” Puck whispered. “I can't see.”

“I see them,” Sarah said, preaching to pick up the thick, black-framed glasses and then press them into Puck's palm. By feel, Puck figured out which way was up and slid them onto his face. It still wasn't enough, they didn't work completely. Didn't help completely. He squeezed Sarah's shoulder gently and she helped him stand up.

“I didn't want anyone to know,” Puck said quietly. “I'm not some cripple that needs to be taken care of. I'm still a badass.”

“Of course, Noah, we won't treat you any differently,” Rachel promised. “There's all sorts of adaptations for the visually impaired nowadays, there's no reason you can't live a rich and fulfilling life.”

“I'm going for a walk,” Puck said.

“Is that a good idea, bro?” Finn asked.

“I'll be fine. I'm not blind yet,” Puck hissed angrily. He turned and stalked toward the side gate, to head out to the driveway.

“I'll go talk to him,” Kurt told the others, as they watched Puck nearly trip over a stick he hadn't seen, but right himself at the last minute. Puck made it to the sidewalk and Kurt jogged after him.

“Puck, let me walk with you,” Kurt said.

“I can walk by myself,” Puck growled. “I'm not a fucking invalid.”

“Of course not, but everyone can use some company sometimes,” Kurt said.

“Fine, just, don't chatter on at me,” Puck grumbled.

Kurt quickly fell into step next to Puck. He slid into place between Puck and the rode, walking side-by-side with Puck.

“I didn't want anyone to find out,” Puck said quietly, when they were about three blocks from Kurt's house.

“People are going to find out eventually, Puck,” Kurt said.

“I thought, if I ignored it, it would go away. And everything would go back to normal,” Puck's voice was small.

“How can I help you?” Kurt asked.

“I don't know. I really want to finish school, and graduate. But I have all these things I need to learn on top of schoolwork,” Puck admitted.

“Like what?” Kurt asked. “I heard you reading Braille. You're learning that, right?”

“Yeah. I also have to take orientation and mobility classes,” Puck said, as if to punctuate his words, he tripped over a crack he didn't see and nearly fell. Kurt reached out instinctively to catch him and take his arm.

“I can do it myself,” Puck said, pulling his arm away from Kurt.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to offend your straight, macho sensibilities,” Kurt said snidely.

“It's not about that,” Puck said. “Besides, I have macho _pansexual_ sensibilities, thank you very much.”

“Really? You never said.” Surprise was clear in Kurt's voice.

“You never asked. But it's not about you being gay or whatever. I'm not Finn or Azimio, I don't care if you touch me. I'm just...not ready yet,” Puck said.

“Not ready for what?” Kurt asked.

“Not ready to need your help.”

“Puck, how would you describe my dad?” Kurt asked. Puck was taken aback by the question; he stopped and turned, trying to get a straight view of his friend.

“What?”

“My dad. What kind of a man do you think he is?”

“Your dad is, like, the ultimate guy. The ultimate _Dad_. He takes care of you and Finn and Mrs. H, and he never takes shit from anyone, and he lets your friends stay over without asking questions. He's, like, totally the Dad that I want to be some day. He's the Dad I wish I had,” Puck confessed, and Kurt wasn't surprised at all. Everyone in glee club loved Burt.

“When my Mom died, my dad didn't do so well. We tried to keep going, like nothing had changed, and that lasted one week. So my Grandmama came and stayed with us for a while. She's my mother's mother, and she took care of me and helped my dad and I get our lives back into working order. It helped us, but it also helped her. Because she was mourning a loss too, and taking care of me helped her.

“The same thing happened when my dad had his heart attack last year. When he came home, he let me fuss over him and feed him and baby him and take care of him. Not because he was weak, but because he's strong enough to ask for help, and because he knew that fussing over him made me feel better. Do you understand what I'm saying?” Kurt asked.

“I'm not sure,” Puck said.

“You're going blind. This totally and completely sucks. You're angry and sad and hurting and scared, all of which make complete sense. You should be feeling all of those things. But your family and friends are feeling them too, Noah, and letting us help you will help us deal with watching you go through this,” Kurt placed his hand on Puck's shoulder, and Puck didn't shrug away.

“Kurt, where are we?” Puck asked, looking around. “What street are we on?”

“Maple. We're almost to the corner of Maple and Vernon,” Kurt said, pulling his hand away from Puck's shoulder.

“Thanks,” Puck said, touching Kurt's shoulder, then sliding his hand down so he was grasping Kurt's elbow. “This is the best way to do it.”

“Good to know,” Kurt said. “Is that what they teach you in that class you were talking about? Mobility?”

“Kinda. Mobility and orientation. It involves learning how to get around when I can't see. How to arrange things. They have classes for my family too, teach my mom how to do stuff around the house, and how to describe things to me so I understand them. They're teaching me how to maneuver with a cane,” Puck practically whispered the last line, like it was some sort of dirty secret.

“And that's bad?” Kurt asked.

“If I carry the cane, it becomes real. It says to everyone, 'I am a blind person, treat me differently.'” Puck swallowed. They two young men continued walking, Puck holding onto Kurt's elbow so that Kurt could guide him. The two boys took a turn and started walking down a side street.

“How long until you'll need it?” Kurt asked.

“Two months, maybe? The medications aren't working anymore. The pot the doctor prescribes helps a bit, but it makes me so toasted I can't concentrate on homework. At least I don't have to buy it from Mr. Ryerson anymore.”

Kurt couldn't control his shudder at the mention of Mr. Ryerson, and Puck felt it from the way he was holding onto Kurt.

“Are you cold?”

“No. Mr. Ryerson freaks me out. I don't like the things he says to me when we're alone. I'm glad he was fired,” Kurt said.

“He never touched you, did he?” Puck asked, getting upset at the mere thought.

“No,” Kurt said. “Not even non-sexually, like he did with Hank. To be honest, we all knew that Mr. Ryerson didn't _actually_ molest Hank. But he was creepy enough that none of us fought him being fired.”

“He groped my ass once,” Puck said. “Figgins didn't believe me. I mean, never anything worse than that, but still, the man has issues.”

“Agreed,” Kurt said. “Do you want to turn down Cherry Street, and start heading back to my place?”

“Okay,” Puck said, and he started to cross the street.

“Are you going to tell the glee club?” Kurt asked.

“I'll have to, won't I?” Puck asked, sighing. “I won't be able to do the choreography.”

“That's not necessarily true,” Kurt said. “But there might be some hindrances. You should tell them, though, because they're your friends and they care about you.”

“I knew I had glaucoma,” Puck said. “I've known since I was, like, twelve, but it only became unmanageable over the summer. I've been keeping this a secret for years.”

“It's understandable,” Kurt said. “I've kept secrets.”

“What kills me,” Puck admits, “Is not being able to watch Beth grow up. She is going to be _so_ beautiful, and I'm not going to see it. Hell, I'll probably be completely blind by the next yearly visit.”

“I'll describe her to you,” Kurt said, “I have an excellent eye for detail.”

“I know you do Princess. Thanks for the offer. Sex is going to be lacking too,” Puck sighed.

“How so?” Kurt asked.

“Looking at your partner, looking into their eyes, is, like, the _best_ part of good sex. Didn't you and the hobbit ever get jiggy with it?” Puck asked.

“Not that it's any of your business,” Kurt starts, as he guides Puck around a fallen stump, “But yes we did. I get what you're saying. I guess you're just going to have to learn to pay more attention to the physical sensations. Those are definitely nice.”

“True,” Puck said. “Listen, Kurt, I never said it before, but I want to say it now. I'm sorry for bullying you freshman and sophomore years. I was a douche, and I'm sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Kurt said. “Though I have to admit, I'm a little surprised to learn you're pansexual. Was it like with Dave? Did you bully me so nobody would guess you weren't straight, like he did?”

“It wasn't even about that,” Puck said, letting Kurt steer him around a corner. “I've never cared where you stick your dick.”

“Could you be any more crass?” Kurt interrupted.

“Probably,” Puck answered. “But like I said, I never cared that you were gay. That's not why I bullied you.”

“Then why?”

“Because I'm from a poor family on foodstamps and government assistance, and I had a chip on my shoulder the size of Mount Everest,” Puck admitted.

“Huh?”

“I'd see you at school, walking around in your designer clothes, holding your head up high, sneering down your nose at the rest of us like we were so far beneath you. It pissed me off. So I judged you as a snob and took it out on you. I'm sorry, I wish I knew then what I know now.”

“What do you know now?' Kurt asked Puck curiously.

“That you act like you're so competent because you _are_ competent. That you have money for things because you've been working for your dad since you were tiny. That you buy a lot of your designer shit second hand, and can spot a sale from a hundred miles away. I used to think you were a spoiled little rich kid who could afford to wipe his ass with hundred dollar bills, while I was stuck eating generic yellow cheese and bologna because it's what WIC paid for,” Puck admitted. “I _hated_ the fact that we were poor. I resented my old man for walking out on us—even though he was an abusive bastard when he _what_ around—because it meant Ma had to work two jobs and I had to watch Sarah because she couldn't afford a baby-sitter. And none of that was your fault. I'm sorry I took it out on you.”

“I never knew,” Kurt said. “I'm sorry Noah.” He wasn't exactly certain when he'd started using Puck's given name, Puck didn't protest, so Kurt kept using it.

“It's okay,” Puck said. “I was a total ass. Sometimes I think I deserve this.”

“Puck, don't even go there. The universe isn't making you blind to punish you for being a giant douche. You're going blind because you have a disease. It sucks, but it's not _punishment_. I mean, by that logic, than my dad's heart attack and my moms breast cancer were punishment,” Kurt pointed out.

“I guess not,” Puck said. “It just majorly sucks, you know?”

“I know,” Kurt said, reaching over to rest his free hand on Puck's hand grasping his elbow, and giving Puck's hand a slight squeeze. “But I promise I'll be here for you.”

“Thanks,” Puck said. And they walked the rest of the way home in silence.

*****

The Puckerman family had spent the weekend giving the Hudson-Hummel clan lessons in how to help Noah with his rapidly increasing blindness. How to describe things to him using the face of a clock for reference. How to walk with him to help him, while remaining unobtrusive and not declaring to the world “Look at me! I'm helping a blind person walk down the hall!” Carole was incredibly nice, and didn't even complain when Puck smoked his marijuana inside the house. Ruth explained to Burt and Carole that the cannabis seemed to help the swelling inside the eye, and helped Noah see a bit clearer. Burt was quick to inform Finn and Kurt that if he even suspected they'd smoked any of Puck's pot they'd be grounded until college. Rachel had been sworn to secrecy, and forced to promise that she wouldn't breathe a word of Puck's medical condition until Puck revealed it himself. Kurt had threatened to destroy her collection of autographed playbills. Rachel had replied that he probably wouldn't destroy them, he'd just steal them and claim them as his own. Kurt had replied with the information that he didn't need any of Rachel Berry's scraps, he was a diva in his own right. This led to a very loud diva-off in the living room, which resulted in everyone else laughing their asses off at the two divas' enthusiasm. All in all the weekend was very eventful.

But Monday morning sneaked up on them and before long it was time to go back to school. Finn and Kurt decided to start picking Puck up in the Navigator on their way to school, so that Puck wouldn't have to walk. It wasn't a long walk, but since Puck refused to use any mobility tools until the last possible minute, it was a little bit safer. They all knew Puck was stubborn, and would fight everything along the way, but he'd agreed to accept some help, which his friends viewed as a step in the right direction.

Puck made it through his classes. He had to put his face very close to the paper while writing, and he couldn't read the board, but he wasn't in any AP classes so, luckily for him, none of the teachers actually called on him much. Puck knew he'd have to tell all the teachers eventually. He didn't want to think about that yet. Telling the glee club was going to be hard enough. Although, he needed to tell Bieste as well, and he convinced Finn to come with him.

“Coach?” Puck said tentatively, knocking on her office door. Finn was standing behind him. He could still see well enough to get around, for the time being, but he couldn't catch a football anymore.

“Puckerman, I was hoping to talk to you before practice today,” Bieste said. “I've been a bit concerned about your performance lately.”

“That's the thing, Coach, I have to quit the team. I can't play football anymore.”

“Why not?” Bieste asked. Finn reached out a hand a squeezed Puck's shoulder for support.

“I'm going blind. I have glaucoma,” Puck said. “It's been getting worse for ages, but the doctor says I'll be legally blind soon. I'll probably be able to see a little bit, but not well enough to play football.”

“Sorry to hear that, kid, I really am. Hey, do you want to try out for the wrestling team next month?” Bieste asked.

“I just told you I'm going blind,” Puck said, confused.

“I know. But there are blind wrestlers, I've seen an exhibition before. You have to start in a contact position, but apart from that, it's all the same. And it would probably do you some good to stay in shape and have a physical outlet,” Bieste said. “It's a rough road you've got in front of you. Wrestling might be good for you.”

“I'll think about it,” Puck said, surprised.

“Alright. You cleared for gym class?”

“Only some things,” Puck said. “I have a slip from my occupational therapist saying which activities I can participate in right now. Finn, can you find my blue folder?”

“Sure,” Finn said, opening the backpack still on Puck's back and pulling out the folder. Puck found the paper and handed it to Bieste. Then she waved them out and he followed Finn out.

“You should do it, if your mom lets you,” Finn said. “Wrestling, I mean. Plus you could hang out with Lauren more.”

“You do realize she and I broke up, right?”

“Yeah, but you're still friends, right” Finn said.

“Yeah,” Puck said. The two guys walked to glee club practice. They sat down and waited for Mr. Schue to show up. “Mr. Schue?”

“Yes, Puck?”

“I need to say something to everyone.”

“Okay, Puck has the floor.”

Puck stood up and made it to the piano before turning back to face everyone.

“Is this about why you've been acting so weird lately?” Artie asked.

“Yeah,” Puck said. “I'm going blind.”

“I always said you jacked off too much,” Santana quipped and there was a brief chuckle throughout the room, until everyone realized Puck wasn't making a joke.

“He's telling the truth,” Kurt said.

“I have glaucoma,” Puck said. “I've had it since I was twelve, but it's gotten a lot worse, and I'll be legally blind in a couple of months.”

Tina, Brittany and Mercedes ran and hugged the boy right away. Sam and Mike came over and clapped him on the back, telling him they were sorry. Even Quinn, Lauren and Santana gave him hugs eventually, stone cold bitches they might be, but heartless they weren't. It didn't take long before almost the entire glee club was in a group hug. Kurt smiled. He knew that Noah's friends wouldn't let him down. Noah could get through this, because he was strong, and because his friends loved him.

*End 2*


End file.
